Regional and Local Government in the European Union: Responsibilities and ResourcesOffice for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2000 - Central-local government relations - 242 pages This study presents the results of a comprehensive survey of regional and local government structures in each Member State of the European Union. The project was initiated in 1999 by the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions. Its aim has been to provide a thorough analysis of the financial structures and bargaining power of regional and local authorities. The Committee of the Regions launched the project because it was aware that the roles played by Member States in European cooperation could be fully understood only with a clear knowledge of the financial room for manoeuvre available to their sub-national authorities. As European cooperation develops, regional and local authorities are increasingly involved in the practical implementation of EU policy. But the degree of their involvement varies from one Member State to another. Responsibility for performing public tasks lies largely with central State authorities in some countries, whilst in others it is to a great extent devolved to regional or local level. The degree of political responsibility assumed by an authority is closely related to its financial room for manoeuvre: only if it has the necessary financial resources can it take administrative and political responsibility for carrying out public functions. Its access to such resources therefore determines also how far it can play its part in carrying out EU policy. The following study deals both with the financial resources of regional and local government, and with their ability to take on tasks required to help implement EU policy. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
administrative allocated Amsterdam Treaty annual areas Austria Autonomous Communities billion budget capital expenditure cent of total central government citizens Constitution costs Council Tax county councils cultural decentralised départements devolution distribution economic equalisation ernment European Union federal government fees fiscal functions Fund Gemeinden Germany government expenditure Greater London Authority implementation income tax Länder legislation levels of government levied loans local authorities local government Luxembourg major Member ment Northern Ireland Number of municipalities OECD political population Portugal powers prefectural principle property tax proportion public expenditure public sector reform regional and local regional authorities regional government responsibility revenue sources role share social services specific grants spending structure sub-central sub-national government subsidiarity Table tasks tax base tax rates tax revenues taxation thorities tiers of government transfers transport trillion lire unitary urban user charges value added tax welfare